Engine starting device



March 3, 1936. w J RYAN ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR. ////i/77 J ATTORNEY.

March 3, 1936. w. J. RYAN 2,032,953

ENGINE STARTING I DEVICE Filed April 5, 1955 ZSheecs-Sheet 2 V INVENTOR. flaw/m J W BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNETE STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

The invention relates to engine starting devices, and particularly to friction drive starters for automobile engines.

I am aware that friction drive starters for internal combustion engines are old, but such devices have heretofore all employed a motor carrying a pinion and shiftably mounted for engageinent and disengagement of the pinion with the flywheel of the engine. Electric starting motors are commonly quite heavy, and the problem of pivotally or shiftably mounting them in an automobile which is subject to road shock and vibration is difficult of satisfactory solution. Likewise, the wear to which the motor mounting of such devices is subjected is great, and tends to detrimentally effect the adjustment and operation of the device.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a friction drive starting device whose starting motor is fixedly mounted.

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which the motor driven friction drive member is disposed eccentrically of the motor when the device is inoperative.

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which the drive member is shiftably carried by the motor.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a friction drive member shiftably carried by the motor and means for shifting and locking said member in a position concentric of the motor.

A further object is to provide a device of this character with a novel speed reduction drive,

A further object is to provide a device of this character with pivotal drive means mounted on a comparatively long arm to maintain the device operative and to eliminate frequent adjustment due to wear.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of the device illustrating its relation to the engine flywheel.

Figure 2 is an enlarged end view of the device illustrating its inoperative position in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a side view of the device.

Figure 4 is a side View of the friction driving roller, its driving means and mounting arm.

Figure 5 is an end. View of the driven member of the driving connection between the motor and roller, with the driving member illustrated in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is an end view of the driving member of the driving connection between the motor and the roller.

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line l-1 of Figure 3 and illustrating the driving connection.

Figure 8 is a view, similar to Figure 7, illustrating a modified form of motor-roller driving connection and. providing a speed reduction drive.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of roller carried driving connection member.

Figure 10' is a fragmentary end view of the driving connection member illustrated in Figure 9, which illustrates the motor carried connection member in operative speed reduction relation thereto.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention, the numeral ll designates an engine flywheel which is provided with a smooth cylindrical periphery. A suitable bracket l2 extends adjacent the flywheel and serves to mount an electric motor I3 by means of bolts M which are secured to a flange l'i carried by the motor casing. A bearing 16' extends from the end of the motor adjacent the periphery thereof and is provided with a suitable bore for the reception of end portionv I! of a rod l8 which is rotatable therein. The rod I8 is provided with an angularly extending portion l9 spaced from said bearing, and terminates in a return bent portion 20 extending parallel to the portion l1 thereof. A shoulder 2| is formed on the rod adjacent the juncture of portions l1 and. [9 thereof, and a flange 22 is carried by the portion 20 thereof adjacent the portion I9. The rod It forms a pivot arm for a friction drive roller 23 which is rotatably mounted on the portion 20 of said rod. The axes of the portion 20 and roller 23 are spaced from the axis of portion ll of said rod a distance equal to the spacing of the axes of portion I! of the" rod and. the motor, whereby said roller may be disposed concentrically of said motor. The portion I! of pivot arm I8 is preferably longitudinally' split and spread tofrictionally engage bearing l6 and retard rotation thereof.

The motor i3 is mounted at one side of the vertical center line of the engine flywheel H, and the axis of the motor is disposed below the line extending between the aXis of the flywheel and the axis of portion I! of the roller mounting arm, as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, when the device is inoperative, the roller depends from bearinglfi by means of rod or arm l8 in a position spaced from the periphery of the flywheel.

The spaced relation of the roller relative to the flywheel is governed by means of a screw 24 threaded in an arm 25 projecting from bearing l6 and locked by means of a lock nut 26. A plate 21 is secured to arm 25 by screw 24 and lock nut 26 and terminates in a finger 28 overlying said arm and extending into engagement with shoulder 2| of arm l8 to hold said arm in the bore of bearing [6;

A plate 29, preferably circular, is carried by the inner end of roller 23 and is disposed concentrically thereof. A plurality of equi-spaced ears 30 are carried by plate 29 and extend angularly from the periphery thereof at 3 I, thence in spaced inwardly directed parallel relation to said plate at 32, and terminate in angularly extending portions 33 which engage said plate'at theirrespective carriers and the plate 29 by means of rivets 31.

The motor I3 is provided with a bearing is for its armature 39 to which is secured a star shaped member 49 by means of a. screw 4|. The star member has a plurality of arms", equal in number to the number of blocks 34 carried by plate 29. The star member 40 is engageable with the rubber blocks 34 carried by plate 29 by virtue of the closely spaced relation of the blocks relative to the end of motor 13.

When the roller-23 is freely suspended in inoperative position spaced from flywheel II, the

'relative position of the blocks 34 and star meme ber 40 is as illustrated in Figure 7, with the center of the plate 29 carrying said blocks disposed in eccentric relation to thestar member 40. Upon actuation of the starting motor, the

:arms 42 of the star member engage the'blocks 34 at the plane faces of the portions 36 thereof. The star member tends to engage each block 34 with'equal pressure, thereby shifting plate 29 to a position concentric of itself wherein the roller 23 engages the flywheel l I, as shown in full lines in Figure 2. By virtue of the relation of the pivot about which the roller 23 moves to the axes of the motor and of the flywheel, this movement of roller 23 tends to tightly wedge it against the flywheel at a point spaced from the line between the flywheel axis and the pivot of rod l8,whereby an effective friction driving engagement is established between the peripheries of the roller and the flywheel. This friction engagement is further enhanced by the tendency of the roller to climb the flywheel by virtue of the direction of rotation of the roller being such as to urge the adjacent face of the flywheel downwardly.

After the engine has started, and thestarting motor has been deenergized, the rotation of the flywheel tends to break the'wedge action of the roller therewith by repellingthe roller, thereby freeing the roller and permitting'it, by gravity, to i assume its starting position-dotted lines Figure 2-in spaced relation to the flywheel and ecdriving engagement therewith, whereby objec tionable wear of parts due to frictional brushing thereof, one against the other, is eliminated, and the driving connection is rendered substantially silent in operation.

.In previous friction drive starting devices in which the motor was shiftable to move the drive 7 roller into and out of operative driving relation to the flywheel, it has always been necessary, to obtain the best results, to have the pivot about which the motor was shiftable disposed in comparatively closely spaced relation to the axis of the motor armature, in order to limit the vibration and shifting of the motor when the automobile engine was in operation. Such arrangement of parts limited the wedging action of the roller on the flywheel to insure against passing over the line between the pivot axis and the flywheel axis. By comparison of this previous construction with the instant construction, it will be seen that, by mounting the motor in fixed relation to the engine, thespacing of the roller pivot from the roller axis may be greatly enlarged by virtue of the light weight of the roller which, if it engages the flywheel while the en gine is in operation due to vibration of the automobile, will be easily thrown from the flywheel by the movement of the flywheel without detrimentaleffect to the motor, the roller,'or the flywheel. Also, the long pivot permits of increased wedging to insure a good friction drive engagement of the roller on the flywheel and eliminates frequent adjustment of the device due to wear of parts.

When it is desired to include in the starting device, as above described, a speed reduction drive connection between the motor l3 and the roller 23, a construction similar to that illustrated in Figure 8 may be employed. In Figure 8, which is an end view of the roller carried drive connection member and includes an illustration of the motor-carried drive connection member in section, the operative driving connection of the parts is illustrated in full lines and the inoperative relation of the parts in dotted lines. In this construction the roller 23 carries a plate 45, preferably larger than plate 29, with which a plurality of carriers 46 for rubber blocks 41 are integrally formed. A star member 48 having arms 49 of smaller number than the number of blocks 41 is secured to the motor armature by a screw 59. The axis of the motor armature and star member 48 is spaced from the axis of plate 45 at all times, and the spacing of the axis of the star member from the periphery of the flywheel is greater than the spacing of the axis of roller 23 from the periphery of flywheel II. The plate 45 is pivoted to the motor by member I8 in the same manner above described. The arms 49 of the star member 48 are of a length such that only two of them can engage rubber blocks 41 at any one time. When the starting device is inoperative, the plate 45 is suspended on member l8 in the position illustrated in dotted lines, with roller 23 spaced from flywheel l l. Upon energizing the starting motor to rotate the plate 45 and roller 23, the star member bears upon one or more of the blocks 41 and by its rotation shifts plate 45 to the full line position with the roller engaging the flywheel. Subsequent rotation of the star member tends to produce a wedging action of the roller on the flywheel, inasmuch as the working portion of the rotation of the star member relative to the blocks 41 is in the direction of the line between the roller pivot axis and the flywheel axis. It will thus be seen that the driving connection between the star member 48 and the blocks 4! in this construction serves also to hold the roller against the flywheel, though not by the centering action of the previously described construction. It will also be noted that this construction, due to the spacing of the axes of plate 45 and the star member 48, tends to produce friction between said member and blocks 41. This is absorbed by the distortion of the blocks 47 in the manner illustrated in the upper portion of Figure 8, and the action between the star member arms 49 and blocks 41 is one of increasing distortion from the point at which said arm first engages the block 41 until the point at which the arm assumes a position in alignment with the axes of the plate 45 and the star member 48, from which latter point the action is of decreasing distortion to the point of disengagement of the star member arm and the block. The destructive friction to which said parts would be subject were they rigid is thus entirely eliminated.

Another type of driving interconnection between the starting motor and the friction roller is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. As illustrated, this construction is also intended for speed reduction. A plate 55 is carried by the roller 23 in the same manner as in Figure 8, and the motor driven star member is of the same construction and is disposed in the same relation to the axis of plate 55 as star member 48 relative to plate 45. Portions of the plate 55 are cut away at equally spaced points of the periphery thereof and along lines angular to the tangent of the plate at those points. A slit 51 is then formed in the plate in spaced parallel relation to each cutout to provide a plurality of spaced arms 58 which are connected to the plate only at one end thereof. Each arm 58 is bent adjacent its free end to form perpendicularly extending tab 59, on the outer face of which is mounted a rubber button 55. The arm is also twisted intermediate its ends to provide a portion BI lying in a plane perpendicular to the plane of plate 55. The arms of the star member 56 bear upon the rubber buttons 6!) of arms 58 in the same manner as arms 49 bear on blocks 41 of the construction illustrated in Figure 8, and the driving connection operates substantially in the same manner as in Figure 8. The principal distinction of the devices resides in the action of arms 58 upon engagement thereof by the arms of the star member 5%, these arms bending at the twisted portions Si thereof, as illustrated at the top of Figure 10, to compensate for the difference in the axes of rotation of plate 55 and star member 56. This modified construction thus relies upon a spring construction of the abutments which the arms of the star member engage in operation, rather than upon distortion of rubber blocks. The result obtained-elimination of wearing friction between parts and noise-4s thus the same.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

l. The combination with an engine having a flywheel, a support fixed relative to said engine, of a motor secured to said support, a roller, a link pivoted to said motor and rotatably mounting said roller in normally spaced relation to said flywheel, a star member mounted on the armature of said motor, a plate carried by said roller and disposed adjacent said motor, and spaced lugs carried by said plate and engageable by said star member to rotate said plate and roller, rotation of said star member shifting said lugs .and plate to a position with said roller in frictional driving engagement with the periphery of said flywheel.

2. The combination with an engine having a flywheel, a support fixed relative to said engine, of a motor secured to said support, a roller, means pivoted eccentrically of said motor and mounting said roller in normally spaced relation to said flywheel, a star member carried by the armature of said motor, and spaced lugs carried by the end of said roller, said lugs being engageable by said star member to provide a driving connection for said roller by which said roller is urged to frictional driving engagement with said flywheel.

3. The combination with an engine having a flywheel, a support fixed relative to said engine, of a motor secured to said support, a roller carried by said motor in normally spaced relation to said flywheel, a drive member carried by said motor, said roller being shiftable about a point spaced from the axis of said motor and a driven member engageable by said drive member and carried by said roller, said roller being shifted into substantially axial alignment with said motor for frictional driving engagement with said flywheel upon interengagement of said driving and driven members.

4. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel, a motor, a drive member engageable with said flywheel and normally spaced therefrom and from axial alignment with said motor, and a driving connection between said motor and drive member actuable to shift said drive member into axial alignment with said motor to frictionally engage said flywheel, said driving connection comprising a set of spaced resilient members carried by said drive member and a member carried by said motor and engageable with said resilient member.

5. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel, a motor, a drive member engageable with said flywheel and normally spaced therefrom and from axial alignment with said motor, and a driving connection between said motor and drive member actuable to shift said drive member into axial alignment with said motor to frictionally engage said flywheel, said driving connection comprising a set of spaced rubber blocks carried by said drive member and amember actuable by said motor and engageable with said blocks.

6. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel, a motor, a drive member engageable with said flywheel and normally spaced from said flywheel, and a driving connection between said motor .and said drive member actuable to urge said drive member into frictional driving engagement with said flywheel, said driving connection comprising a plurality of relatively angularly disposed arms carried by said drive member, a transverse flange projecting angularly from the end of each arm, said arms being twisted intermediate their ends in a plane perpendicular to the normal plane of said arms, and a star member operable by said motor and engageable with said flanges.

'7. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel, a motor, a drive member normally spaced from said flywheel and shiftable about a point eccentric of said motor, and a speed reduction driving connection between said drive member and said tion between said drive member and said motor comprising interengaging eocentrically disposed driving and driven elements carried by said motor and said drive member, said driving connection urging said drive member into substantially axial alignment with said motor for driving engagement with said flywheel.

9. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel, a motor, a drive member engageable with said flywheel and normally spaced therefrom, means pivoted eccentrically of said motor and mounting said drive member to position it eocentrically of said motor, and interengaging elements carried by said motor and drive member to form a speed reduction driving connection, the interengagement of said driving and driven elements being efiected in a position whereby the movement of said driving element is in the direction of the axis of said motor and of said flywheel and shifts said drive member into operative driving engagement with said flywheel.

10. In a starter for an internal combustion engine, a motor, a drive member engageable with said engine and normally spaced therefrom, and a speed reduction driving connection between said motor and drive member comprising a star member carried by said motor, a plate carried by said drive member and disposed eocentrically of said star member, a plurality of'spaced lugs carried by said plate and engageable with said star member, said star member successively engaging said lugs and imparting thereto a driving force in the direction of said engine whereby said drive member is shifted into operative engagement with said engine.

11. In combination, a driving member, a driven member, and a speed reduction drive connection 7 between said members comprising an energizing member carried by said driving member and a plurality of abutments carried by said driven member eocentrically of said energizing member and successively engaged by said energizing member, one member of said drive connection being resilient, said resilient member flexing during the interengagement thereof with the other member to accommodate the eccentric movement of the parts of said connection.

12. In a starter for an engine having a flywheel,

a motor, a drive member engageable with said flywheel, an arm pivoted eocentrically of said motor and supporting said drive member in normally eccentric relation to said motor spaced from said flywheel, said arm being of a lengthsubstantially equal to the radius of said motor, and a driving connection between said motor and drive member, said driving connection shifting said drive member guided by said arm into substantially axial alignment with said motor for operative engagement of said drive member with said flywheel;

WILLIAM J. RYAN. 

